Benjamin Franklin

He discovered Electricity!

Benjamin Franklin was a legend in his own time. He was the most famous American of the 1700s. Just like Nelson Mandella today is the one name anyone really knows from South Africa, in the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin was the one man everyone back in the home country of Britain had all heard of. He was the one man who stood out among all the players in America- a leader in colony politics, who, in his spare time, managed to develop his interests in business, science, human nature, math, languages. With an easy way with people and an exceptional wit, he rose above his humble Puritan-Boston beginnings to become what would be equivalent today to a billionaire. He retired early in his forties and began to give back to the community.

But the second half of his life propelled him to even greater fame. He was one of the few men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He was a major player in the American Revolution that brought independence from Britain. When he wasn't travelling back and forth between America and Europe representing the colonies to Kings and government officials, he started the farmer's almanac, which was subscribed to by almost everyone in Philedelphia wherein he published countless witty "Franklinisms" such as "A penny saved is a penny earned", and he convinced his fellow countrymen to print their own currency, thus improving their economy. His belief in individualism paved the way for American capitalism, and his home-grown recipe for success, plain old hard work, fleshed out for America what became known as the American Dream

The 1700's saw America rise from being the backwater of civilization with very little culture and education, to a formidable player on the world stage, led in no small way by Benjamin Franklin. Until the revolution, America suffered from an inferiority complex. The motherland, Britain, set the standard in education, government, techonology, and fashion; America had uneducated farmers, dirt poor manual laborers, and religious zealots escaping persecution. Using his printing business as a platform, Franklin published articles that pushed colonists to improve their lives by sending their children to school, volunteering for their community, thinking critically about Britain's role in colonial governance, and doing things to help themselves instead of waiting for other people to do it for them. He was the champion of the manual laborer, encouraging them to take pride in their professions. In his position of Deputy Postmaster General of North America, he improved the postal service and eased the colonies' relationship with surrounding Aboriginal tribes. He started a hospital, a univeristy, the first public library in the world, and a fire station. He invented bifocals, the Franklin stove, the armonica, and of course conducted his famous experiments with electricity.

His recipe for success, self-improvement through rigorous self-discipline and hard work, was soaked up by the American people eager to move up in their social class. His autobiography was studied in schools clear across America during the 19th century (and was later prescribed in schools in Japan during their transition from rural folkspeople to industrial and technology-savvy urbanites). American parents imposed the Franklin standard on their children: early to rise, early to bed, meals of bread and water, the study of astronomy over the lunch hour, burning the midnight oil to study algebra before bed. While you're at it, teach yourself four or five langugages. For a short time, he even imposed on himself a strict weekly schedule that involved working through the different virtues in an attempt to attain moral perfection. Nineteenth century parents from coast to coast became obsessed with grooming their children to become another Franklin, and as Mark Twain attests in a searing essay written on Franklin's influence, his legacy for industry and frugality effectively ruined the wild, unbridled fun of American schoolboys for generations to come.

Although he was highly disciplined himself, he went easy on others and emphasized forgiveness of the many flaws of human nature. Humans were not perfect, and he came to accept that fact after having been duped by a British mentor friend as a young man. Throughout his career as a statesman and community leader, he tempered many a religious argument and got different factions to work together by emphasizing the lowest common denominator virtues of order, sincerity, justice, and humility. He believed that everyone should try their best to get along with their neighbor and help out in the community, but in the end, everyone was a free individual and had to do what was best for themselves.

Benjamin Franklin found a nantucket whaling captin's map furnished the answer. Going against the Gulf stream ships sailed West up to 110 km oer day...

This is what Benjamin Franklin found out... Thanks Kayla=]

He was the colonies' ambassador to France and convinced the French government to fight alongside the Americans against the British. He published pro-American books and a newspaper. He served on the Continental Congress. He was instrumental in the planning of our system of government. He was one of the Founding Fathers and one of the American representatives signing the Treaty of Versailles.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers and a genius. He was the colonies' ambassador to France and convinced the French government to fight alongside the Americans against the British. He published pro-American books and a newspaper. He served on the Continental Congress. He was instrumental in the planning of our system of government. He was one of the Founding Fathers and one of the American representatives signing the Treaty of Versailles.

Benjamin Franklin was a successful, impressive, and inspiring politician, statesman, author, publisher, scientist, and philosopher. He was one of the Founding Fathers and actually came up with the system of government outlined in the Constitution.

It would take practically forever to list all of his accomplishments and impacts, but some are as follows:

- inventing bifocal glasses

- inventing the glass armonica (a musical instrument)

- serving in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention

- serving as America's first postmaster

- inventing the Franklin Stove

- inventing the lightning rod and not getting a patent, so as to make them affordable

- proving lightning electricity which can be harnessed via his kite and key experiment (a risk to his life)

- coining electrical terms such as battery, charge, and discharge

- starting a lending library and fire station

- founding the first nonreligious college, the University of Pennsylvania

- publishing Poor Richard's Almanac and the Pennsylvania Gazette

- serving as the first American ambassador to France and persuading the French to join with the Americans against the British in the Revolutionary War

- receiving honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, University of St. Andrews (Scotland), and Oxford

Basically, he helped us win the Revolution and establish a government afterward, improved and/or saved the lives of many people, and laid the electrical groundwork out for most all scientific advancements to date.

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Also, his personal life was quite interesting with his son Franky's tragic death, his broken relationship with his Loyalist son William, and his way with women.

He gave money to every church and synagogue in Philadelphia because he believed them all to do good for the people.